Begging for comments from you!

Below are some questions we'd love to have you answer for us. We want to share not only our own experiences, but also yours. I truly believe that by getting lots of feedback, we can show just how unique each homeschool experience is. I've gotten some feedback already which we will talk about in the podcast we record this weekend, but would love more. You can comment on this post or you can email us at uniquelyuspodcast@gmail.com


We really appreciate your feedback!
Jeff & Lea

1. Why do you homeschool? Bad public school, religious reasons, health issues, etc...

2. What does your typical day look like? We know that each of our school days are unique. We'd like to share examples from you all on what your day is like.

3. What are some "stereotypes" about homeschooling that you have encountered? We've had some unusual ones mentioned to us recently so we'd like to know what ones you've heard.

4. Are you part of a co-op or homeschool group? Do you find it beneficial or over-rated?

5. What are the pros & cons of homeschooling in your eyes? Do you try to convince others that homeschooling is the way to go?

6. What kind of curriculum do you use? Do you use traditional, unit studies, all-in-one or mix & match, computer, dvd, none, etc.... What homeschool method do you use? Classical, Charlotte Mason, unit studies, unschooling, a mix??

7. Is there anything else you'd like for us to do an episode on?

Thanks so much for listening to our podcasts & for taking the time to give us some feedback about the above topics!

Podcast #11

Below are our notes for podcast #11. This was recorded shortly after episode #10. But it got deleted but thanks to Mozy & Dropbox, Jeff was able to find a copy of it & get it restored & edited. Enjoy!

Update on Us
http://uniquelyushomeschool.blogspot.com/2011/03/feeling-inadequate-as-homeschool.html  - comparing ourselves to other homeschoolers. Is there a typical homeschooler? Is there a typical homeschool? Being Unique! And why do I always feel inadequate?

homeschoolers & technology & convention - lack of technology? Why?

Skip maybe - Hospital adventure - Jamie’s virus that settle in her lungs. Nurses/Dr’s told her she should be nurse b/c she was so interested in everything they did to her & had to know details about everything.

Math/school struggles with the boy. thinks he can’t do it & freezes up but he can. Does it with reading too. Convention - between math sessions & sessions with Hal & Melanie Young, we’ve decided to stop “formal math” & go with Time, money & measuring until his brain is ready for addition/subtraction.




Homeschool in News

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/86633/ The homeschooling movement continues to gain momentum as home-educated students and graduates demonstrate success academically and socially.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/16/fed-instructs-teachers-to-facebook-creep-students/ - Education Department officials are threatening school principals with lawsuits if they fail to monitor and curb students’ lunchtime chat and evening Facebook time for expressing ideas and words that are deemed by Washington special-interest groups to be harassment of some students.

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/julieingersoll/4430/republicans_tell_iowa_homeschoolers_education_not_government's_role_/ Presidental canidates told homeschooler’s government need to not interfere with education.

Homeschool Conventions
http://www.homeschoolconventions.com/ list of homeschool conventions

http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/HomeschoolConventions.php another list of homeschool conventions


How to contact us
Website - www.uniquelyuspodcast.com

New blog - http://uniquelyushomeschool.blogspot.com

Email - uniquelyuspodcast@gmail.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/uniquelyus

Phone -  (661) SCH-OOLH - (that's (661) 724-6654)

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. This week my parents took me out to lunch & gave me a Teacher Appreciation card thanking me for educating their grandchildren. It meant the world to me.

I know some of you don't have that kind of support, so I just want to tell all of you homeschool teachers that I appreciate you & so do your kids. You are doing one of the hardest jobs in the world. Not only are you parenting your kids, you are also their teachers!

As a homeschool teacher, you give up a lot of things. You give up any time off. You give up having a neat house. You give up a 2nd income. You give up "me" time.

But, you gain so much more. You gain the satisfaction of knowing your kids are getting the best education for them. You gain getting to "know" your kids. You gain getting to see your kids succeed & follow their passions without being interrupted by "school". You gain family time.

So, to all you homeschool teachers, I say thank you! You are training up the future leaders of our communities, our country & our world! Thank you for taking the time to make a difference. Thank you for investing in your own children! You are making a difference! You are the BEST teachers your children could have!

Podcast Input from you!

As we continue to make podcasts, we'd love to have input from you. Below are some of the questions we would love for you to answer to help us with our next several episodes. So please comment on this post or email us or call us!

1. Why do you homeschool? Bad public school, religious reasons, health issues, etc...

2. What does your typical day look like? We know that each of our school days are unique. We'd like to share examples from you all on what your day is like.

3. What are some "stereotypes" about homeschooling that you have encountered? We've had some unusual ones mentioned to us recently so we'd like to know what ones you've heard.

4. Are you part of a co-op or homeschool group? Do you find it beneficial or over-rated?

5. What are the pros & cons of homeschooling in your eyes? Do you try to convince others that homeschooling is the way to go?

6. What kind of curriculum do you use? Do you use traditional, unit studies, all-in-one or mix & match, computer, dvd, none, etc.... What homeschool method do you use? Classical, Charlotte Mason, unit studies, unschooling, a mix??

7. Is there anything else you'd like for us to do an episode on?

Thanks so much for listening to our podcasts & for taking the time to give us some feedback about the above topics!

Podcast #10 - Midwest Homeschool Convention - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Notes for podcast - as in the movie, we start with the Ugly!

The Ugly
-Ken Ham fiasco. Executed poorly
http://www.apologia.com/news.php?item=75
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=7001
http://www.facebook.com/notes/ken-ham/warning-all-homeschoolers/186020768110064
http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Ken-Ham-Issue-Public-Statement.pdf


The Bad

registration grade: C-

-Tim Hawkin’s concert:  B

-Duggers: D - people letting babies cry & not taking them out. Kudos to ones who have taken them out.

-Rudeness of homeschoolers (in lines and phones - talking and ringers)

-Poor tech and licensing issues

-sessions that make me feel guilty for choices we feel God has led us to. For example, only having 3 kids or Using/having tech.

The Good

-vendor hall(too much of a good thing?)

-neat vendor -- http://www.shatterpointentertainment.com/

-Choices of sessions - over 300 sessions to choose from
-More food options (But $$$$$$)
-sessions that are encouragement & confirmation of what we need to do.
-Delaying formal math - study by L. P. Benezet - http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sanjoy/benezet/1.html#description
-Hal & Melanie Young - http://www.raisingrealmen.com/

http://www.soulsurferthemovie.com/ - homeschooled, Christian surfer who lost arm in shark attack. Movie out April 8.

-Coolest ad:  inside a book. - Inheritance Publications - http://www.telusplanet.net/public/inhpubl/webip/ip.htm


WE ARE TIRED!!!!!! and broke

Jamie
-http://ciacyberops.com/


How to contact us
Website - www.uniquelyuspodcast.com

New blog - http://uniquelyushomeschool.blogspot.com

Email - uniquelyuspodcast@gmail.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/uniquelyus

Phone -  (661) SCH-OOLH - (that's (661) 724-6654)

Spring Fever

 So, I think Spring Fever has hit our house. We've done some traditional type school work the past 2 weeks. But it's been hard to sit inside at a desk or table.

Jamie (on left) is doing her vocabulary. David & Jessica (on right) were doing some school on the computer. David used this opportunity to hug on his little sister who was engrossed in her computer program.


Then last Thursday, Friday & Saturday we went to the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first year Jamie (on the left) came with us. You can hear her thoughts & ours on our next podcast that should be released this weekend. On the right is all the curriculum, books & DVDs we got at convention.


 This week, we took a field trip to the Central library here in Indianapolis. We are blessed with a large library system here. It has 22 branches and a wonderful online system. We can reserve books online & have them sent to our local branch to pick up. Our local branch is fairly small. But the Central branch is quite overwhelming. The old part, which I think is beautiful, houses fiction. The new part is several stories tall & very modern. The kids loved going & we came home with a large stack of books.

 The rest of our time the last 2 weeks has been spent playing outside. The kids discovered a duck has laid eggs in our front flower garden. So we are on duck watch again this year. At least this year she didn't lay eggs right next to the garage door or the back patio door like she has in prior years.

Once again, I'm so glad we homeschool. My kids are getting real life experiences that are worth more than the book knowledge they would learn in public school. Rather than just reading about ducks & eggs, we are watching & learning. We are participating in life instead of just being hearing about it or doing worksheets on it. Also, my kids have time to play & use their imaginations.

Sunny Day fun!

So it's a beautiful, sunny day out. Spring has sprung!
The flowers are blooming!

So after school was finished today, we went for a 2 1/4 mile walk around our neighborhood. We would have went farther, but a thunderstorm popped up.

It didn't even look that bad. But it sure was thundering. It was just a small cell, but enough to stop our walk. As you can see in the picture above, it was partly sunny & partly stormy! But soon the skies cleared & the kids begged to go play out in the back yard. So I thought I'd share some pics of them playing!

Jamie playing in the sandbox. 

She'd play all afternoon by herself. 

Jessica is playing on

 the playground.

Not sure what she was doing,

but she was having fun.

David is playing with a ball

and some sort of paddle.

Not sure what he was playing,

but he was enjoying himself! 

I think you can see that I'm not sure exactly what they were playing. That's because they are always using their imaginations & dreaming up some unusual ways to play with toys. They constantly combine things they learn & shows they see into their play. This is one of my favorite things about homeschooling. My kids have time to play & use their imaginations. We aren't spending our afternoons & evening doing homework. Homework is done during school time!

Hoped you all enjoyed a peak into our sunny day fun!

Podcast #9 - "Feeling Like Failure"

Here's notes from our latest Podcast! Hope you all enjoy the podcast!
Lea & Jeff

Podcast #9 Notes - Recorded on 2/25/11 - Posted 3/5/11

Updates on us
-Last week was rough. I (Lea) didn’t feel like doing school. Fibro-flare. But we pushed through it. Some weeks it’s harder than others.
-This past week - homeschool parent crisis. Panic over progress kids are having (see blog - http://uniquelyushomeschool.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-we-failing-in-homeschooling.html

Homeschool in News
-http://www.omaha.com/article/20110213/NEWS01/702139894/1009 - Miss America Homeschooled
-http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/political/From-Homeschool-to-the-Hardwood--116267809.html Indiana voting to allow homeschoolers to play on public school sports teams
-http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/no-vote-on-illinois-homeschooling-bill-after-thousands-protest/ Vote in Illinois on bill (SB136) to allow DOE to collect any info it wants on homeschool families was delayed b/c 4000 homeschool families descended on capital to protest (orderly!)
-http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2011/02/chivalry-is-not-dead-at-least-on-the-wrestling-mat/ Homeschooled boy in Iowa refuses to wrestle girl & forfeits championships based on his moral/spiritual beliefs. He was favorite to win.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/media/2011/201101140.asp - In a new study released today the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) estimates there were over 2 million children being homeschooled in the United States in 2010.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2008) there were an estimated 54 million K–12 children in the U.S. in spring 2010, which means homeschoolers account for nearly 4% of the school-aged population, or 1 in 25 children.

How to contact us
Website - www.uniquelyuspodcast.com

New blog - http://uniquelyushomeschool.blogspot.com

Email - uniquelyuspodcast@gmail.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/uniquelyus

Phone -  (661) SCH-OOLH - (that's (661) 724-6654)

Feeling Inadequate as Homeschool mom/homemaker!

As I look around a my wonderful friends, I sometimes feel like I'm inadequate as a homeschooler & as a homemaker. When you think of typical homeschooler, then look at me, you will see I don't quite fit in.

I don't cook from scratch. I don't have a big garden & can all my own food. I don't do freezer meals. I don't clip coupons. I don't have meals planned out for the week. I don't buy organic food from store or from a farm.

I don't make my own soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, lotion or anything. I don't make my own paper towels, wet wipes or kleenex. I didn't use cloth diapers.

I don't make our own clothes. I have a whole stack of mending to do & hate doing it. 

I have some wonderful friends who do some or all of the things mentioned above. And I love them all dearly. But sometimes it leaves me feeling inadequate. Believe me, none of these wonderful ladies would ever do or say anything to make me feel that way. It's my own insecurity that makes me feel that way!

I know God made me unique! Which is why we call our podcast "Uniquely Us!" I just need to constantly remind myself to focus on the unique gifts & talents God gave me & not focus on what I can't or don't do! I need to stop letting Satan whisper those doubts & lies into my head! Besides, I've never fit in or been the "normal" type of person!

So, whenever I feel inadequate, I am going to stop & celebrate who God made me to be! No, I don't cook from scratch, I don't sew, can, coupon or make my own soap. BUT God didn't make me to do that. He placed limitations in my life physically so that I couldn't do those things. He has blessed me with Fibromyalgia. Through it, I have to depend on Him! I get to see His mercies on me daily! He also has blessed me with a wonderful hubby who loves me dearly. He has a travel job & we have been blessed to be able to travel with him & see lots of places & things we wouldn't otherwise be able to. God has blessed me with wonderful children who don't care what I can't or don't do. They just care that I love them!

If you are out there & you feel inadequate also, please know that it is normal! I bet if you talk to anyone of the women whom you feel inadequate next to, they will tell you they feel inadequate too! So turn your thinking around! Stop looking at what you can't or don't do & start looking at what you can do! I know it is hard! But you can do it! If you can't seem to find something you can do or are good at, ask your friends! I'm blessed with a bunch of friends who jump in to encourage me & point out what I CAN & DO do! God made you Uniquely You! No one else is like you! Praise Him for that today! (Psalm 139:14 -I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. )

Taking the week off!

I love homeschooling, but I don't think I'd be able to do it if I didn't have breaks now & then. I am blessed with wonderful parents & in-laws who love to take my kids. Not only is it a blessing to me, but it a blessing to my kids. They get to spend time with their grandparents & see different perspectives on the world.

 Here's us at Thanksgiving dinner at our church. Back row is my Father-in-law Danny, Mother-in-law Becky, Dad Garry, Mom Judi & me. Front row is Jessica, my hubby Jeff, Jamie, David & Brother-in-law Neal.

So this week, we are taking the week off school. Yet my kids have probably learned more this week than normal school weeks! Jamie was at the in-laws. I know she usually does a lot while there. One of the things she did this week was help her grandparents deliver Meals On Wheels to shut-ins. She is learning to be a servant! She is also learning compassion & love. This is worth more than learning math or english!

David & Jessica were at my parents. They helped pick up limbs from latest storm & helped feed cats & Sally the dog. Country life has lots of learning opportunities too.

They all came home yesterday afternoon. Today we are taking off school as I am having a Thirty-One party here tonight. So we are in the midst of cleaning. Not sure what tomorrow will hold. But I do know that I love the flexibility homeschool gives us. Yes, we are now behind my schedule BUT it won't take much (just few longer days) to get caught back up. Also, I build in catch-up weeks so in long run, we will be fine.

Sometimes, life experiences are more important than academics!